Mz. Bratt – Elements (2011) [Self-Released] // Grade: B

Mz. Bratt first appeared on the grime radar in 2006, appearing on Mary Anne-Hobbs’ essential Warrior Dubz compilation. On Terror Danjah’s “Give It To ‘Em,” the then-15 year old established herself as a grime spitter with skills beyond her years. With a smattering of material since then, listeners have awaited a more complete release from Mz. Bratt. With the Elements mixtape, fans are even closer to seeing what Bratt has to offer.

Mixed by DJ Kayper, another female performer making waves in a male-dominated scene, Mz. Bratt offers her grimey but precise flow over beats from some of the best in the business. A member of of Wiley’s A-List Music crew, Mz. Bratt kicks off the tape with an intro from Wiley himself, who spits a bit over Lethal Bizzle’s grime anthem “Pow 2011.”

The tape starts off strong with Bratt’s single “Selecta,” a Redlight-produced piece of dubstep meets bashment; Bratt’s swagger rides the breakbeat-driven track right into the Hi NRG grime of “Sidechain,” which reunites her with Terror Danjah and Wiley. Next up is a track that should be familiar to dubstep fans: first it was DJ Zinc’s “Nexx,” then it was Ms. Dynamite’s “Wile Out,” and now it’s Mz. Bratt’s “No Way Out.” “No Way Out” demonstrates Bratt’s singing talent, before it is perfectly mixed into Flux Pavilion’s massive wobbler “I Can’t Stop.”

After that non-stop start, Bratt slows it down with “Sleeping with My Memories,” a luvstep jam that features frequent grime-collaborator Ed Sheeran; Bratt is at her best with this type of evocative storytelling. The respite from bangers is a brief one: Bratt takes on Travis Porter’s “Make It Rain” with some ratatat rap.

Here’s where the tape loses focus. “Killin Em” and “Get Dark” sound like Swizz Beatz and Neptunes tracks, respectively. Bratt’s rapping is still on target, but forgoing her UK roots doesn’t do her any favors. For her pop crossover to land, it will have to be on songs like “Speeding,” which features Dot Rotten behind the boards and on the hook. The beat rolls with the energy of dancehall, before fading into a Bratt freestyle over Tinie Tempah’s crossover hit “Wonderman.”

The next generation of grime belongs to artists like Mz. Bratt: performers who do grime and pop, old and new with equal skill. Don’t sleep.

Download Mz. Bratt’s Elements For Free (Click Here)

Three years after the 2008 finale of Avatar: The Last Airbender, a trailer for the sequel series The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra debuted at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. Set seventy years after the original series’ finale, the new twenty-sex episode mini-series stars new Avatar, Korra, of the Southern Water Tribe. Though few story details have been released, the series will follow Korra as she attempts to learn airbending from Tenzin, the son of former Avatar Aang, and presumably stop, or at least fight with the Equalists, a new group harboring resentment against benders.

The new series, written entirely by original creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, features a new team of animators, giving the show a different, more anime-influenced look. Additionally, the creators report that the show will be a bit darker and more mature than the original series, and because it’s only a mini-series, all filler episodes will be omitted. The new city being featured in the clip is reportedly called United Republic and was canonically created by original series’ stars Aang and Zuko as a metropolitan center for people of all nations post-war. In an effort to not repeat elements of the original series, The Legend of Korra will be rooted in United Republic and will start with her already having mastered Earthbending, Firebending, and Waterbending. Also, take notice of the giant, swagged-out Aang statue depicted in the trailer.

Let’s discuss one thing though: The name. Originally this series was to be titled Avatar: The Legend of Korra, which still is not great, I don’t like the whole “Korra” part, but at least it’s got the word Avatar in there. This new one does not, and I swear, if the renaming has something to do with James Cameron, well, I’m not actually going to do anything but it’ll definitely be a bummer.

Look for The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra to premiere on Nickelodeon sometime in 2012.

This past weekend saw many tragic events unfold in the media, from the mass killing in Norway, to the death of singer Amy Winehouse, to the crash of a Chinese bullet train. Now, I don’t take many things seriously, but I have a certain amount of respect for the subject of death, enough, in any case, not to make jokes about it. Or rather, enough respect to not make tasteless jokes.

With the announcement of Winehouse’s death on Sunday morning came, of course, a slew of Facebook statuses and Tweets regarding the singer’s passing. At first all I was seeing was the standard, “R.I.P. Amy,” “No, no, no Amy :(,” and “We lost a great one today. R.I.P.” But, as the day bore on, and people started feeling a little more confident in themselves, I started seeing things like, “They probably should’ve made her go to rehab. R.I.P.” and, “She shouldn’t have said no, no, no.” Are you kidding me? However funny Winehouse’s vice-filled antics may have been at times, her death is not the time to try being witty for once. I say that only because if you have any sort of comedic sense or integrity, you already know that this is not a place for jokes. A lot of people, however, aren’t funny, or at least aren’t used to making jokes, so when a disgustingly easy opportunity like this one arises, they jump at the chance to try their hand in our craft of wit. Don’t do it.

I even saw a lot of people expressing their lack of astonishment, tweeting things like, “R.I.P. Winehouse #Can’tSayI’mSurprised.” And again, sorry that this real-life death, that happened in reality, did not satisfy your craving for excitement, or apparent need for a surprise, but you need to keep those things to yourself. Her death was not a marker for which you should measure how surprised you do or do not get. It seems on top of the typical pointless idiocy that floods twitter every second, when a publicized death occurs Twitter becomes the frontline for inconsiderate, corny, one-liners.

Any publicized event, really, seems to bring the would-be comedian out of most people. On the subject of what was the deadliest killing in Norway since World War II, I saw comments like, “Norway: Another reason I’m glad I live in America,” and, “What up with that guy in Norway killing everyone? I THOUGHT NORWEIGENS WERE PEACEFUL.” Try to be more ignorant. Just try it. Give it a shot. I don’t think you could succeed. It’s one thing to be proud of your country, or relieved that a tragedy has not befallen your people, but find another way to phrase it.

And as is human nature, no two things can ever happen in close proximity without people picking one as more significant, or better, or even just outright comparing them. One person tweeted, “Amy Winehouse is dead, that’s sad. But dozens of innocent people have died because of a killing spree in Norway. Let’s not forget that…” First, we should thank this user, because there was definitely a chance of every person forgetting what happened in Norway. There was not, actually, and just who is this user that she gets to clarify that one celebrity death is sad, yet not as important as a mass-slaying? She is nobody, and yes, I know that part of the purpose of Twitter is for nobody people to concisely express whatever thought they want, but this is a matter of inconsideration, and really, unnecessary comparisons.

Another user felt the need to educate the Twitterverse in proper English, stating, “Amy Winehouse was a drug addict who died of an overdose [as of this writing that claim is unsupported]. Her death is a shame, NOT a tragedy. The killing in Norway was a tragedy.” Dude. Get out of here. Thanks for the English lesson, but do not take it upon yourself to tell people what Winehouse’s death means to them. Also, just don’t even compare them. They’re both unfortunate events that occurred. Were one to have taken place even a week later there would be no comparison of the two.

But, alas, that is the tendency of human beings. If you give people a means to express any thought they deem relevant, express they will. And fine, whatever; if you want to be ignorant and inconsiderate, by all means, go ahead. That’s not even why I started writing this. I find very little objection to ignorance, because I know that it’s never gonna not happen. But please, leave my craft of comedy alone.

Sunday morning, Daniel Bobis went missing while surfing in West Lampung, Indonesia. Friends and family have spent the last 24-hours contacting the US embassy in Jakarta and the international media in order to shed light on his disappearance. The consulate has been of no help thus far but seems to be more responsive after the thousands of pleas from family members, friends and the entire community of Long Beach.

Hundreds of people attended a vigil last night (as seen on the Fios1 report) on Long Beach’s boardwalk to pray for Danny’s well being, his safe return and to raise awareness for his Paypal rescue fund which can bring aide to his search and rescue through donations to dannybobisfund@gmail.com.

Danny was my first friend here in the United States and he has been an integral part of my life for the past 14 years. He is a beloved math teacher at Long Beach High, Coach of the LB Surf Team and drummer of Long Island activist hardcore band, Cipher. The New York Post, Village Voice, CBS NY, Gizmodo. CNN iReport and Patch have picked up the story but it is up to us to spread the word until the proper actions are taken and Danny is recovered.

Please spread the word and if possible reach out to anyone and everyone that can help. You can also call the Indonesian US embassy at (62)(21) 3435-9000 or email them at the American Citizen Services of Jakarta. If you have or are looking for any information show your support by visiting the Daniel Bobis Info Facebook page.

“The Only Real Thing In Life Is Action”
- Maurice Mitchell (Cipher), 1999.

Curb is back. After a slow start to the new season, the genius molester of social conventions, Larry David, is back on his A game. The bits, the quotables, the chicken: It was all top-notch in last night’s episode.

“Palestinian Chicken” starts with Larry, Jeff, and two never-before-seen friends, Eddie and Ron, playing some golf and discussing an upcoming Five Man Team Club Championship. Their team, including fifth member Funkhouser, is confident in a win this year, and decide they will have a pre-Tournament dinner with the team and their wives. Ron then has to run home to his bitchy, whip-wielding wife, Ilene, played by one-time Seinfeld guest, Maggie Wheelerone. Larry and Jeff then head off to try a new Palestinian Chicken restaurant, and sure enough, the chicken is delicious. For Larry, never the ideologue, it is made all the more sweet by the pro-Palestine posters that fill the walls, as he finds beauty in the Israel-Palestine conflict and remarks that the restaurant would be the perfect place for a Jew to cheat on his/her spouse, because no jews would ever go there.

From the chicken scene the show moves to the dinner party, where the rest of the show is set up. As is typical in the Larry David comedy structure, this episode is made up of three main plot elements. First, there is the impending golf tournament, which acts as a backdrop against the other threads. Then, Larry is propositioned by several less than brave characters to act as a “Social Assassin” and correct certain other characters’ annoying social habits. Finally, the new delicious Palestinian chicken place, Al Abbas, is opening a new location right next to Goldblatt’s Deli, which upsets many of the Jewish main characters. Not Larry though.

It soon becomes clear that this is the best type of Curb episode, that being the kind where Larry attempts to use his abilities to overcome (and generally just not care about or understand) social conventions for good. Larry David is often labeled as petty, rude, and unsympathetic, but it is my opinion, as you could have probably guessed, that he is misunderstood. He is only trying to dispel such ridiculous social institutions and conventions and those who are in accordance with such constraints often interpret his actions as mean-spirited.

The dinner party contains some of the best bits of the whole episode. First, Funkhouser, newly rededicated to Judaism, attempts to bless the food and the wine before the meal begins. Larry, after some eye rolls and sighs, cuts him off, deeming it unnecessary. “You can’t drink the wine without the prayer!” Funkhouser claims. “Oh, you can’t? Really? Watch this,” Larry says just before indulging in the wine, meanwhile the camera stays fixed on Funk’s disappointed face. From there the conversation turns to the soon-to-open second Al Abbas chicken house next to Goldblatt’s, as suddenly all of Larry’s friends become conservative, pro-Israel supporters. Their discussion of the new chicken house’s proximity to the famous deli is strikingly (and humorously) similar to last year’s arguments against the Ground Zero Mosque.

In the same vein as Seinfeld’s Close Talker, two new unacceptable habits are introduced at the dinner. One, is Susie’s constant, lip-smacking “Ahhhh” sound, made after taking a sip of a drink. The other, is Susie 2, otherwise known as Ron’s domineering wife, Ilene’s use of “verbal texting,” saying “LOL” instead of just laughing out loud. Larry is hired by both Ron, and Susie’s daughter, Sammy, to perform hits as a Social Assassin and tell the two women that they need to end these habits. It is really the only time that Larry’s awesome ability of speaking his mind is admired, and subsequently desired by other characters.

Larry takes the hit jobs but ends up fumbling both of them, resulting in Ron’s wife seeking comfort and starting an affair with Eddie (a plot detail that later, as foreshadowed, brings the cheating jews to Al Abbas), and Susie, as usual, yelling at Jeff until Sammy admits to being the one who hired Larry, and then revealing Ilene’s infidelity, in turn ruining the golf team’s near win.

What makes “Palestinian Chicken” stronger than the other two episodes of this season, and an incredible return to form, is that, thematically, the story lines all connect. The humor found in the religious and cultural angst of the Israel-Palestine conflict is only heightened by Funkhouser’s reinvigorated sense of Judaism, as well as Larry’s carnal desires for Shara, the gorgeous Palestinian owner of Al Abbas (who he ends up having sex with, much to Big Funk’s dismay), and the overbearing qualities of domineering Jewish women, in this case Susie and Susie 2.

The episode ends with Larry standing in between the protest at Goldblatt’s and the new Al Abbas. On one side are his friends, the Jews, Susie and Funk, as Susie instructs him to, “Get the fuck over here!” On the other side, however, is his lover, Shara, and the Palestinians, who promises Larry great sex and great chicken. She also mentions that she has a sister, Yasmine.

Judges rule: No contest.

Check out some of the best bits below after the jump. (more…)

Soft Metals – S/T (2011) [Captured Tracks] // Grade: B+

So often in the man meets machine atmosphere of synth-pop, the mechanical wins out, sucking all warmth, and leaving in its place a cold, robotic semblance of human touch. Many of the genre’s most prominent acts, Kraftwerk for example, embraced the mechanized, as a statement on the rise of technology in the post-war urban landscape. But that was then, and this is now. To create synth-pop in 2011 solely out of minimalistic, repetitive electronic rhythms and digitized vocal effects, would be a pastiche of the past, with little relevance to today’s culture. Portland duo Soft Metals unleash one of the more successful synth-pop albums of recent years with their self-titled debut. Producer Ian Hicks provides danceable synth grooves, while his partner, singer Patricia Hall, warms the dark corners with tender, ethereal, humanness.

Soft Metals are a duo whom are perfect complements, and you might even go as far as to say need one another; without Hicks, this would not be synth-pop, and without Hall you’d have a well-produced electronic album, lacking that something to set it apart. The album art is stark, bearing a black frame and a neutral-toned photo of lovers frozen in time, captured the moment before a kiss. It’s a well-thought-out summary for the LP’s ten tracks; cool in mood, carried by breath pattern.

Synth waves glide smoothly one part video game, one part galactic exploration, across opener “Psychic Driving”. They’re the sounds you’d expect from synth-pop, until Hall’s vocals slink into the mix, drawn out angelically from on high. Her voice defies stylistic categorization. She plays a chameleon, her contributions shifting from filtered background accompaniment (“Always”), to retro pop (“Eyes Closed”) and dancefloor melody (“Voices”). Hall could very much carry the album, turning it towards Sally Shapiro-esque breathy hooks, but she never steps into the frontwoman role, and it makes the album that much more interesting, giving room for Hicks’ textured production to roam and shapeshift with equal focus.

Soft Metals put forth a fantastic first LP, at once bundling nostalgia and updating those sounds for the discerning modern music fan. They leave just enough ends untied to build anticipation for the future.

Trouble & Bass’s monthly takeover of DC’s U Street Music Hall has consistently been the preeminent dance club’s finest night. In a no-frills club built with bone-rattling bass in mind, who better to play God (or Satan) than the pioneers of the global bass movement?

In an attempt to outshine previous T&B DCs, the crew (represented this time by The Captain) brings an all-star lineup to the club next Thursday. Leading off is new DC resident Willy Joy, who has already brought the house down on several occasions. Moving from a DC newbie to a DC veteran, next up is Nouveau Riche bass fiend Steve Starks, whose latest track is, well, a “Problem.”

Steve Starks – Problem by SteveStarks

Forget the haters: club music is very much alive. Newark’s own Brick Bandit Tim Dolla brings his brand of Jersey club to U Hall. Expect to hear plenty of hip hop and R&B hits chopped up into swagged out bangers. Headlining the night is Brenmar, whose future bass take on club music makes him a producer to watch.

Building songs around the perfect sample, be it Aaliyah or Marques Houston (as he does in “Taking It Down”), Brenmar’s jams are a perfect way to come down off that bass high. DC: don’t miss Brenmar and company. You’ll be sorry.

Thursday July 28th, 10pm – 3am
U Street Music Hall
1115 U St NW
Washington DC
$10 Advance tickets | $5 before midnight
+18 to Enter

The day after Walter, Jesse, and Mike watched the life bleed out of Victor finds them trying to get their shit together. Walter, who is 100 percent certain Gus is going to kill him, tries to be proactive and buys a gun. Mike goes to a bar and blurs the memory with booze. Jesse moves back into his old place with the gaudiest stereo on earth. Gus decides it’s best to not hang around the lab anymore. He was checkmated by Walter and Jesse shot his hopeful chemist, Gale. Probably a good idea to let those boys cool off and get back to work.

Despite all of the blood on Walter’s hands, he’s still no gunman. Watching him clumsily practice the draw on his recently purchased piece, it’s apparent that he’s going to get in over his head again. hitting unsuspecting drug dealers with your car and letting a junkie choke on her own vomit isn’t the same as gunning someone down. He’s shot someone before – in last season’s “Run” – but that was after he rammed them with the Aztec. I have to admit that I got chills when Walt slowly put his trademark hat on, but I doubt we’ll see him buckin’ down the Chicken Man anytime soon.

Mike tries to beat some sense into Walt; tell him that he won, he outsmarted Gus, and should just be happy about that. but things will never be back to normal at the lab for Walt and Jesse. After having spent nearly the entirety of the last episode in silence, Jesse tries to erase the memory of Gale through a never-ending party and a seriously obnoxious stereo. He also picked up a Roomba for good measure. He dives into the party so hard, not even his old pals Pete and Badger can keep up. But when the party’s over, he’s left with the ghosts of Gale and Victor.

The owner of the car wash, Walt’s old boss, shut Skyler down HARD with his figure of 10 then 20 million. I laughed when she was outside taking notes on how different car models are cleaned, but when she ran through the numbers and made her offer I was impressed. Homegirl did her research. She tells Walt that Hank’s medical bills are piling up, but as a DEA agent, shouldn’t he have some serious insurance? I honestly may be forgetting something from last season, but wouldn’t he be covered for things like rehab after a shooting? I remember Skyler offered to help, but it sounds like they’re paying for the whole thing.

IN BRIEF: The gun dealer was played by Jim Beaver, who plays redneck occult expert Bobby Singer on Supernatural. I watched the first three seasons of Supernatural and loved them. It’s a fun, pulpy show that plays with folklore and horror. Someday I’ll catch up with it. — Mike scuffing Victor’s blood off of his cuff was a great touch. This is a man — a killer — who’s done his share of murder. But Victor’s death obviously shook him and has him thinking about how expendable he might be to Gus. — A plane exploding in your new commercial? Keep it classy, Saul. — “Check you for a sliz” LOL

Мишкa Watches Now Available!

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These fun, stylish plastic watches  each  cost $60 and are available for purchase right now. We’ve got a variety of designs in our initial wave so if you can’t find one you like then I don’t know what your problem is.

First up we have the Death Adders watch. It’s got the Death Adder himself on the face and a snakeskin pattern embossed on the watch’s band. It’s got an understated look that doesn’t draw too much attention to itself or it’s wearer. We’ve also got a real no-brainer with our Keep Watch logo on the face of an otherwise white watch. I see this as a classy watch, the kind you could wear to your wedding. Our third style features the classic Bear Mop and has a white bezel with a magenta paint drip band. Finally we’ve got our Logo Collage Watch with a simple black face but a colorful band showing off a collage pattern of Мишкa iconography.

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The business of trailer-making is a fine-tuned craft that finds itself in a world apart from the actual industry of directing and shooting a feature-length film. Usually left up to the production company, their job is to take footage that’s been shot already and approach the cutting room table, with fresh ideas, assembling an individual product that speaks for itself using bits and pieces that have been edited together. A horrible preview/trailer could mean the difference between hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars at the box office.

Yesterday, I went to the theater to see a matinee and it was after a certain preview in particular that I began to mull over the whole trailering thing. Having seen first hand what goes into editing a film, the sleepless nights in front of Avid or Final Cut Pro with the ceaseless, carpal-tunnel inducing, click and drag movement of the hand, it is unfathomable to me that a trailer could come out stinking of half-assed handiwork.

This is understandable if the movie itself is an exhausted piece of crap but not when the film is, exactly what I just said, a film. This may even be some counter-intuitive marketing technique that works it’s magic on loads of people as they arrive to the theater with low expectations and massive amounts of finger-food preparing themselves for another dopey, good for a few chuckles, comedy only to be blown away by how funny the movie was (of course I’m using a comedy as the example here) ultimately praising the film for it’s supersession.

Where was I? Oh yeah, so the specific trailer that lead me down this path of ranting and raving was in fact the official preview for 30 Minutes or Less, an upcoming comedy flaunting a cast of titans, Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari, Nick Swardson, and Danny McBride. Sounds like a surefire recipe for some reviews that involve the word “uproarious” and “raucous” as well as phrases like “laugh out loud funny” and “the best comedy you will see all year” right? Well maybe it is all those things and maybe it isn’t but if this stale handjob of a trailer is any tribute to the movie itself, I’d keep it in your pants New York Times.

This isn’t the first time director Ruben Fleischer pulled some calculated shit like this. He gave the thumbs up to a similarly awful trailer for his previous film, Zombieland, probably with a knowing smirk on his face that he would exceed everyone’s pre-screening impressions and be given a pat on the back by critics. He wasn’t wrong, Zombieland ended up being way better than it’s stupid, unsatisfying previews, excelling into an echelon above the run-of-the-mill Hollywood bait. But why even do that? Why embrace glitz over substance and story in a trailer?

Trailers, like the one for 30 Minutes or Less, that leave you scratching your head asking yourself “Why is this movie getting made?” sorta puts a damper on the anticipation level of audiences and just seems like contrived hype. Sony Pictures was the production company on this flick, in addition to Zombieland, and their trailer, in both cases, honestly made me cringe with disgust at how lame and ad-hoc they were. It was a disconnected collection of moments placed awkwardly against one another and not one of those moments was genuinely humorous. Save all the good jokes for the movie, huh? Let’s hope so.

All in all, the people making the trailers for Fleischer’s films need to be let go or given a stern talking to at the very least. The whole thing is oddly laughable because in the end everyone is going to pack into the cineplex for another summer comedy anyway regardless of how weak the trailer is. If 30 Minutes or Less pulls off the same trick Zombieland did, I’ll be both impressed and confounded. Can he do it?